Apparatus for conveying and delivering materials



F. L. SIUART. APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND DELIVERING MATERIALS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY3| 1919- 1,331,4:64. Patented Feb. 17,1920.

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3mm I fianaial ufiaari 331 H ,i-d abbobm F. L. STUART. APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND DELIVERING MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY3l.19I9. 1,331,464. Patented Feb. 17,1920.

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$31 Hi4 auazm w E. L. SIUART. APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND DELIVERING MATERIALS.

N FlL ABPLICATIO [D MAY 31 I919- 1,331,464. I Patented Feb. 17,1920.

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FRANCIS LEE STUART, OF YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND DELIVERING MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Application Med May 31, 1919. Serial No. 800,973.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS Len STUART, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for conveying and Delivering Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for conveying and delivering material, in'which a main conveyer belt is associated iWlth mechanism which receives material from the belt at any desired point in the length of the belt, and delivers the material to other carriers, bins, or storage spaces located at various points adjacent the belt and at various elevations.

Where large amounts of heavy material are being handled and where it is necessary at times to deliver at unusually long distances from the main conveyor belt or at relatively high elevations, provision must be made for sustaining the increased weight of material and the strains or stresses on the mechanism. Special provision is also necessary for giving proper adjustments to different parts of the apparatus. D-ifliculties have heretofore been encountered in constructing and operating apparatus for the purpose above mentioned but .these have been successfully overcome by my improvements.

According to my invention I. associate with a main conveyor belt of ordinary construction, an improved delivery apparatus which fulfils all the necessary requirements as practical experience has completely demonstrated.

As usual in this class of apparatus, the main eonveyer belt is provided with a looped portion or tripper which delivers to a boom conveyer supported on a truck adapted to move longitudinally over the main conveyer belt under its own power, and said boom conveyer is so supported on the truck that it may be turned or adjusted about both vertical and horizontal axes. In these respects the apparatus is similar to those heretofore used, but I have improved such apparatus by providing a frame of novel construction which is supported on the truck in a new way and serves to support the boom. and the devices for raising and lowering it. The construction is such that the weight of the boom may be firmly sustained and evenly divided, and other parts of the apparatus are so constructed and arranged as to so distribute the weight and divide the strains as to r0v1de for easy adjustment of the boom un er varymg conditions.

In the accompanying drawings Flgure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus for conveying and delivering mater1als constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the delivery apparatus, some arts of the mechanism bemg omltted 1n 01 or that other parts may be better shown.

F g. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale and in slde elevation of the delive apparatus showlng how it is associate with the trlpper.

Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective and largely diagrammatic illustrating the devlces for operating the turntable. Fig.5 is a View on an enlarged scale and 1n slde elevation of the rear portion of the frame which supports the tripper and is a continuation of that part of the tripper supportlng frame shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the distribution of stresses in the distributing apparatus.

The main conveyor belt A as usual is supported on rollers a and may be of any desired length so as to convey material from a distant source of supply. It is provided with a looped portion or tripper A supported on a frame B mounted on a truck C, the wheels 0 of which traverse a track D runnin parallel with the main conveyer belt. he belt enters the apparatus at X, traverses the inclined portion 2) of the frame B, passes over a delivery roller 6, thence over bend rollers 6 b and thence horizontally under the truck in the usual way. The delivery roller discharges into a hopper E, which is supported on and projects from the frame B of the tripper. The hop-per delivers to another hopper F supported by the frame of the delivery apparatus It will be observed that the frame members B, adjacentthe delivery apparatus, are inclined in such manner as to 'permit'paits of the delivery apparatus to extend beneath the hopper and beyond the plane of the hopper. In

this way a compact arrangement is afforded and one which givesfreedom of movement of the delivery apparatus about a vertical 3a j when the drum. is turned in theopposite direction the turntable is given a movement vertical axis.

axis so thatmaterial may delivered at any desired point on either side of the mam after described to The truck-G of the delivery a paratus is connected at g to the truck C, an 1ts wheels g traverse the track D- Motor mechanism H on the truck drives the wheels g and the truck supports a circular platform I on which is mounted a turntable K. Preferably the circular platform I is supported on I beams h in the manner illustrated in Fig.

3. The turntable K is of novel construction. It is provided on its under side with wheels. is which traverse a track on the top of the latform I. The turntable extends across t e platform and oneend 71: thereof is extended a considerable distance beyond the platform, and this end carries a counter Wei ht L "scri ed. The turntable revolves about a vertical axis indicated at a: in Fig. 3 audit will be observed that the ortion 7c of the table is located much fart er from its axis than the opposite end portion of the table.

M indicates a cable which surrounds the base I and is attached thereto at m. This cable extends over pulleys m, m and around a drum N' supported on the turntable. N indicates a motor for operating the drum.'- The arrangement is such tha t by turning the drum in one direction the turntable may be moved correspondingly, but

- in the opposite direction. Inasmuch as the turning the'drum about a vertica base I is stationary, and the cable M is fastened thereto at mwhen the drum N is turned to wind up the front part of the cable as viewed in Fig. 4, the turntable will be turned. anticlockwise, correspondingly axis, the rear portion of the cable as viewed in Fig. 4

being let out from the opposite end of the drum. When the drum 1S turned in the opposite direction, the rear portion" of the cable. will be wound and the table will be turned clockwise.- The motor, drum, etc., it

will be observed, are. located on that side of the axis of the turntable on which the extension'k is located. In Fig. 3, 0 indicates a controller for the motor N. It is also connected with a motor 0 which actuates the drums O to which the cables for raising and lowering the boom conveyer are connected. I Y

The boom supporting frame P comprises front frame members p which extend diag-' onally'ppward from one end of the turntable, and rear. frame members 1; which extend diagonally u ward from the rear 'end of the extension of the. turntable. The members p are inclined to a greater extent structure.

frame for a purpose hereinafter desuitable way. The front and rear. frame members are braced by cross rods gand rovidin a stron but com arativel li t p g The cd'oss rods of the? frgnt frame member are arranged a ve' and below an open space R throu h which the boom conveyer S extends, an in which it isfree to move vertically. A similar space Rv is provided between the rear frame members. he boom conveyer S comprises-a frame a and a conveyer belt a which traverses rollers 8 is pivotally connected at. t to turn about a horizontal axis. This pivotal connection is preferably made in' a suitable su porting device. If attached to the frame? The ivotal connection at fl is directly below the elivery hopper F so that asthe boom swings up and down its relation to the delivery hopper is not so chan ed as to interfere with the flow of materia from the hopper to the belt. The boom frame is extended rearwardly a short distance and it .is provided with a rearwardly extending Near its inner end the boom conveyer motor. mechanism U, which drives the'boom conveyerbelt. It will be observed that the platform U and themotor mechanism U is located between the plane of the hopper F and the front portion of the frame B and it is free to swing in the s ace provided.-

In order to raiseand ower the boom conveyer in order that it may deliver at any desired elevation I provide on each side of the frame P a cable W which isattached at w to the upper portion of the frame P, passes over a pul ey, w 'on the boom conveyer intermediate its front and rear ends, and then passes over a ulleyw at the upper, outer end of the f I 'ame P. Thence the cable passes under an idle pulley 'w and thence to the .drum 0 hereinbefore. referred to and which is mounted on the turntable K.

In this way power for raising and lowering tends therefrom at an acute angle to thevertical to the upper, outer end of the frame, and thence to. the turntable where iti's connected with mechanism for operating 'it..

Heretofore in this class of apparatus power has been applied near the inner end of the boom and while such mechanism operates efiiciently where the boom is of small dimen-' sions and the weight sustained by the boom is not excessive, very materially improved results are obtained where the power is applied to the boom much nearer to its outer end. Unless provision is made for balancing the strains or properly dividing the weight on the turntable, difficulties are encountered inasmuch as more weight would be applied on one side of the table than on the other and this would tend to tilt the table and impedeithe easy turning movement about the turntable axis. These difliculties have been overcome by my invention, as the frame P is so constructed, shaped, and arranged and so connected With the turntable that the weight, strain and stresses are equalized or substantially so, about the axis around which the turntable moves.

This part of my invention may be better understood by reference to Fig. 6 of the drawings, which shows a stress diagram 1ndicating the distribution of the stresses occurring in diflerent parts of the apparatus. In this diagram it is assumed that a 11111- formly distributed load of twenty pounds per unit of length is carried on the boom. This is equivalent to a concentrated load of ten pounds per unit of length at the center point of the boom and is partly balanced by a load of thirty pounds per unit of length at the end of the cantaliver extension of the boom. These loads are equivalent to a load of forty pounds per unit of length at the pivot, which in turn produces loads of 23.8 pounds and 17.2 pounds per unit of boom length on the front and rear of the turntable track. In order to overcome this 1nequality the turntable is made to overhang at the rear and carries a. load of, say, three pounds per unit of boom length which may be assumed to be distributed as loads of 2.1 pounds and 4.1 pounds per unit of boom length at the front and rear of the track respectively. This practically equalizes the front and rear loads as they are 21.7 and 21.3 poundsper unit of boom length respectively.

The frame P also supports a platform V on which an attendant may stand and A indicates a house for an attendant near the delivery end of the tripper.

The weight L assists in balancing the turntable. The weight of the machinery on the turntable is not usually sufiicient to counterbalance the weight of the frame and the boom conveyer, but by applying a weight of suitable dimensions to the outer end of the extended portion of the turntable, the neceson, a frame supported on the turntable to which the boom conveyer is pivoted to move about a horizontal axis andwhich extends upward and outward from the table and has its upper, outer end arranged in a vertical plane approximately midway between the horizontal pivot of the boom and the outer end thereof, a cable connected with the boom beneath the outer end of the frame and extending from the boom at an acute angle to the vertical to the upper, outer end of the frame, and thence to the turntable and means on the turntable for operating said cable.

2. Apparatus for delivering material, comprising a boom conveyer, and means for supporting and adjusting the boom conveyer about vertical and horizontal axes, comprising a truck, a turntable thereon, a skeleton frame supported on the turntable to which the boom conveyer is pivoted to move about a horizontal axis and which extends upward and outward from the table and has its upper, outer end arranged in a vertical plane approximately midway between the horizontal pivot of the boom and the outer end thereof, a cable connected with the boom beneath the outer end of the frame and which extends therefrom upwardly at an acute angle to the vertical to the upper, outer end of the frame and thence to the turntable, and means on the turntable for operating the cable.

3. Apparatus for conveying and delivering material, comprising a main conveyer belt having a looped portion or tripper, a truck-supported frame which carries the tripper, a boom conveyer receiving material from the tripper, and means for supporting and adjusting the boom about both vertical and horizontal axes, comprising a truck adapted to move longitudinally over the main conveyer belt, a turntable thereon mounted to move about a vertical axis and having a portion prolonged to a greater extent on one side of the axis than on the other side, a frame supported on the turntable having its front members attached to the turntable and extending upwardly and for wardly therefrom, and its rear members connected to the extended portion of the turntable and extending upwardly and forwardly therefrom and joining the front members, means for pivotally connecting the boom conveyer with said frame, means for raising and lowering the boom, and means for operating the turntable.

4. Apparatus for delivering material, comprising a boom conveyer, and means for supporting and adjusting the boom conveyer about both vertical and horizontal axes, comprising a truck, a turntable thereon mounted to move about a vertical axis and having a portion prolonged to a greater extent on one side of the axis than on the opposite side, a skeleton frame supported on the turntable to which the boom conveyer is pivoted to move about a horizontal axis and which extends upward and outward from the table and has its u per, outer end arranged. ina vertical p ane a proximately midway between the horizonta pivot of the boom and the outer end thereof a cable connected with the boom beneath the outer end of the frame and which extends therefrom .upwardly atan acute angle to the vertical to the upper, outer end of the frame and thenceto the turntable, and means on the turntable for operating the cable.

5. Apparatus for delivering material,

comprising a boom conveyer, a frame on which it is mounted tomove about a horizontal axis, a self-propelled truck, a turntable thereon having a front portion to which the boom supportin frame is secured and from which-it exten s diagonally upward and forward and a counterweighted extended real-portion to which the inclined rear portiono the boom supporting frame isalso secured, 'a cable for raising and lowering'the boom, and means supported on the counter-balanced rear portion of the turntable for operating the cable.

6. A stacker or trimmer, comprising a truck, a turntable, a boom conveyer, and a boom supporting frame, in which the turntable has an extended rear portion. and the boom supportin frame is inclined upward" has its front members se-' cured to the front portion of the table and and forward an its rear members secured to the extended rear portionof the table, which latter carries counterbalancing means, the ,arran ement being such that the stresses are e ual y distributed about the axis of the ta Is to insure its easy adjustment.

7 Apparatus for delivering material,

comprising a self-propelled truck, a turn.-

truck, a turntable, a boom conveyer and a boom supporting frame, in which the turntable has an extended rear portion and the boom supporting frameis inclined upward and forward to avertical plane eonsiderabl beyond the front end of the turntable, whic latter carries counterbalancing means and motor mechanism for operating the tumtable, a cable for raising and lowering the boom conveyer which extends from motor mechanism on the extended end of the table to the overhanging upper end of the boom supporting frame and which is connected with the boom conveyer intermediate its ends and in a lane considerably beyond the 1 front end of t e turntable.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- 70 scribed my name. v r

FRANCIS LEE STUART. 

